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Devon

Why you should visit Devon

Discover authentic rural England by visiting the villages of Lustleigh, Appledore and Dunsford

Dartmoor and Exmoor are some of the UK’s most wild and austere environments – barren but beautiful

Explore maritime Plymouth and historic Exeter, the region’s capital

Wander through pretty, coastal towns and villages like Clovelly and Beer

Visit Buckfast Abbey on the edge of Dartmoor

Relax a while on beautiful sandy coves and beaches like Morthoe and Prawle Point

See the seals and puffins on Lundy Island

Our specialist's 'must do'

Not for the faint hearted, experience the Tar Barrel Rolling festival in Otter St Mary. Experience Devon's rugged coastal scene before spending time in the great outdoors, walking across Dartmoor or Exmoor. After all this fresh air and exercise, you can justify indulging in the cheeseboard and wine list at Nobody Inn in the village of Doddiscombsleigh.

A little more about Devon

Wedged between Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, lies Devon. The county boasts two National Parks and five Outstanding Areas of Natural Beauty; the historic cities of Exeter and Plymouth are found here, whilst along its coastline nestle a smattering of attractive medieval towns and villages.

For beaches Devon is hard to beat. Wide wind-swept bays give way to family friendly, sandy shorelines and little pebble coves, whilst 95 miles of its southern shore is known as the Jurassic Coast, where layers of sedimentary rock tell the story of 185 million years of Earth's history.

Chocolate box villages line both coastlines as Devon boasts some of the prettiest in the south west. In the south, the popular resort town of Salcombe and smaller Bigbury-on-sea are both cherished for soft, golden sands. The picturesque fishing village of Beer begs a visit, where coloured beach huts adorn the pebble beach beneath white-chalk cliffs. Dartmouth graces the headland at the mouth of the river Dart, its castle guarding the narrow entrance to the estuary. Here you'll find Greenway House, open to visitors, but once the private holiday home of Agatha Christie.

The north is as enchanting. Carved perfectly into the North Devon hillside is the timeless and unique village of Clovelly. Its cobbled streets are filled with stunning 16th century cottages with breath taking views overlooking the small harbour, 120 metres below. Further along the coast, Croyde is a surfer’s paradise while Damien Hurst's 20 metre bronze sculpture, “Verity”, overlooks the pretty harbour at Ilfracombe, and Lynton and Lynmouth are linked by their unique cliff railway.

Bridging the two coastlines lie the vast wildernesses of Exmoor in the north and Dartmoor in the south. Exmoor is rich in hidden haunts, deep valleys, ancient oak woodland, England's highest sea-cliffs, rivers and waterfalls, wild Exmoor ponies and red deer. Dartmoor is one of the last great wildernesses in the UK - a landscape of heather-clad moors and rugged tors stretching almost 600 square kilometres across. It's a landscape quite unlike any other, populated by lofty granite tors, mysterious hut circles and standing stones, ancient woodlands, rushing streams and Dartmoor ponies. This was the location for Conan Doyle’s ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’.